N.J. community colleges enrollment rises 12 percent

Full-time enrollment at New Jersey’s community colleges spiked a record 12 percent this year, according to a survey released this week.

The report, compiled by the state Council of County Colleges, shows the 19-campus system now serves an all-time high of 96,838 full-time students. The figures provide more evidence of a now-familiar trend: recessions fuel interest in higher education.

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerEssex County College in West Caldwell, taken Monday. Enrollment in New Jersey's community colleges has risen 12 percent this year.

But they also offer a twist.

For months, colleges have marveled at how the recession is pushing more people to return to school. That’s especially true at community colleges, which offer smaller sticker prices and more flexibility than most of their four-year peers.

"We offer short-term certificate programs, as well as technical programs, that lead directly to employment," said G. Jeremiah Ryan, president of Bergen Community College. "When the economy goes sour, people run to the places where they can turn their lives around the fastest."

What surprised some officials: almost none of the enrollment boom came from students taking courses part-time, a typical source of growth during a downturn. Across the state, the number of part-time students at community colleges rose just 2.1 percent.

That gives administrators hope that the enrollment surge may last several years — a reflection of a shifting higher education landscape, rather than an aftershock of an economy with nowhere to go but up.

"There is a little bit of a lingering concern that the enrollment increase might be an anomaly, that it might be a one semester or one year peak," Ryan said. "We really want to work hard to convince students this was a smart choice for them."

Some of those students, he admits, are destined to leave. He’s seen transfers from places such as UCLA and Ohio State roam the halls, with the intention of returning when their finances improve.

But the times may be changing.

The development of certain industries, said Essex County College president Zachary Yamba, will likely last. Much of the growth at his school, he said, came from healthcare programs with no signs of slowing down, such as those vision care, physical therapy and nursing.

"People are coming back to be retrained," he said.

Another lesson from the report: county colleges’ pipeline from high schools has widened as the "junior college" stigma subsides.

"Community colleges have come of age," Ryan said. "Congress is talking about us, Obama is talking about us. Parents have a much more positive feel."

Alyssa Pallatta, 19, of Bridgewater, has noticed the influx of students at Raritan Valley Community College. She’s seen it in many aspects of her second year on campus as a pre-medical student — including a big jump set for inductions into the honors society Phi Theta Kappa, where she is an officer.

"This year’s spring induction is going to be major. There are so many people here," she said.

There are other downsides to the student population explosion, as well.

As it ran short on space, especially for science labs, Essex County College had to turn away students for the first time in Yamba’s 41-year tenure. And it’s not just facilities, he says — professionals in fields such as physical therapy are increasingly harder to find.

"In the private sector, they make two or three times what we would pay them," he said.

But not all campuses are at capacity, and presidents remain optimistic. Ryan’s institution will utilize a bond to expand in Lindherst. It also hopes to build in Hackensack with the help of capital funds from county lawmakers.

Ryan sees several years of enrollment increases, based in part on demographics.